Poor attic insulation will lower your EnerGuide rating
The Ontario Ministry of Energy offers up to $5,000 in rebates to residents who participate in their Home Energy Savings Program. This program was available along with federal home energy funding for people who entered it before March 31, 2010. No federal funding is available to residents as of September 2010, but residents can still access the Ontario government program. Additional programs are available to Toronto residents.
Home Energy Savings Program
This is an umbrella program covering residential house energy savings through retrofitting existing houses. To enter the program, a resident must be a homeowner and must apply for a Home Energy Audit of his house of residence. This is done through a private auditor, but the Ontario government pays half the cost up to $150. The Energy Auditor identifies sources of energy wastage in the house, advises you how best to reduce the wastage, and provides you with an Energy Efficiency Evaluation Report and a personalized EnerGuide rating. Areas checked include insulation, heating and cooling systems, possible leaks and drafts, window fittings and energy use by appliances.
A homeowner must then complete all or some of the changes to his energy consumption within 18 months, and then must apply for another Energy Audit. The auditor will give you a new EnerGuide rating after inspecting the changes, and will apply for your rebates on your behalf. Depending on the upgrades, the Ontario government will issue you up to $5,000 of rebates.
Toronto Residential Toilet Replacement Program
Residents of Toronto who live in detached or semidetached houses, duplexes, condos and townhouses are eligible for up to $70 cash when replacing an old toilet with a city-selected water-efficient model. This has the indirect effect of saving on water treatment energy costs, and is useful if your old toilet needed replacing anyway.
Solar System Energy Rebate Program
The Solar System Energy Rebate Program, which meant Ontario homeowners could claim back the retail sales tax on solar energy systems installed in their homes, has expired as of January 2010. A similar benefit applied to wind, micro hydro-electric and geothermal energy systems, and that has also expired.
Ontario Power Authority
The Ontario Power Authority runs a program whereby homeowners receive rebates on purchases of energy-efficient heating or cooling equipment. As of Septmeber 2010, the program offers rebates from $25 for replacing a nonprogrammable thermostat with a programmable thermostat, up to $400 when you replace a central air conditioner with a standalone Tier 2 energy-level central air conditioning system.
Tags: EnerGuide rating, Home Energy, Energy Audit, Energy Rebate, Energy Rebate Program
